Struggling at work, think fixed hours would be better

[ADW]

I work as a nurse 3-4 long days a week, so that's 7am until 7.30pm. And also nights as well on the same hours. I really struggle with my anxiety and depression on night shifts and have had to call in sick for a few over the last 8 months. I am now due a HR meeting due to my time off sick. I also struggle with being given all sorts of shifts on different days each week. I find routine really helps me. I am dreading my manager and HR will tell me I'm unfit to do the job but it's taken me a long time to realise I am a good nurse and I do love my job I don't want to loose it. I feel let down...when i had a breakdown last summer and had a month of work I was told occupational health wouldn't even see me as they didn't have time! I feel like all of this is my fault and I'm rubbish for having to take days off sick. :( I also know that you have to have a really good reason to be given set shifts and I know work are fed up with me and won't understand. Just feeling really awful at the moment as well which isn't helping, i recently had surgery which i think has put me back a bit and now I'm stressed about the risk of losing my job.

[Chocolateface]

Have you got a union rep to take to the meeting with you as you should be allowed one, if you feel set hours would help your health then there has to be a duty of care to allow you to do this, can you offer a compromise where you work weekends or do nights once a month. Hope it goes well for you

Clare

[ADW]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm not sure who my union rep is but yes I would be willing to work whatever set hours were most convenient and I could probably manage 1 night every couple of weeks. I just feel like im going to be pused out of work but someone said they can't do that as I'm probably covered under the disability discrimination act. 😕

[wabbit1]

I'm pretty sure you will be covered by the disability discrimination act. I know that OH have told my employers I am.

Is there any way you can get in touch with your Union online?

[MyNameIsTerry]

You will be covered by the Equality Act 2010 which is an umbrella Act that took over a few others, one being the Disability Discrimination Act. The DDA was expanded in 2005 to cover mental health.

It's worth having some perspective here - you only had a month off from a breakdown and have had a few days off in the last 8 months. That's actually very good, many of us are off far longer than that. I was off over a year! A month is only the point where absence is considered long term.

So, you are working and they obviously have no issues with your performance or they would have raised them. They should have been monitoring the situation with you anyway so could have determined if anything was bothering you and whether there is anything they can do to help.

Employers are expected to look into way to make "reasonable adjustments" however this is a very vague area of the DDA. It's fine if you need to be on the ground floor because of a physical disability but it's get a bit grey when it comes to mental health. So, a lot of this is left up discussion and the employer needs to do enough so that it can't be argued they didn't do enough if you ever took it to a tribunal.

I suggest you talk to your union about some of this. You will likely have free legal cover and they will understand what employers are expected to be doing over a greater range of issues and companies from their own work which will mean they will be in a good position to advise you on what is possible.

Did you know there is some emerging research about the impacts of night work on some women?